BBC begins search for Gary Lineker’s replacement as Match of the Day host
Speculation about who will replace Gary Lineker as the presenter of Match of the Day has begun in earnest, after the BBC confirmed the former England striker would step down at the end of the season.
After weeks of tense negotiations, the BBC confirmed earlier reports that Lineker will step back from its flagship football highlights programme at the end of the 2024-25 season. However, he will stay with the broadcaster to cover the FA Cup in 2025-26 and the 2026 Fifa World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
But in a major coup for the 63-year-old – who co-founded the successful Goalhanger podcast empire in 2019 – the BBC will host his The Rest is Football podcast on the BBC Sounds app, which attracts more than 5 million users in the UK.
